Baby Bender: 15 Weeks

I’m excited to share what I’ve been doing to track Baby Bender’s week-by-week progress! I got the idea from combining this post and this post on Pinterest and thought it would be a lot of fun, not just for me and Bobby but also for the little one to be able to look at someday.

I get weekly updates comparing the baby’s size to a food through the pregnancy apps I have downloaded (What to Expect, BabyCenter and The Bump, to name a few – I’m kind of obsessed), and although my chalk drawing skills are far from perfect – can’t seem to get the spacing down or the “k” and “s” to look right on “weeks,” haha – it has been something I look forward to at the start of every new week of pregnancy. Plus, coming up with props has been pretty cool, too.

So here’s an update on where we’re at!

How far along: 15 weeks, 2 days.

Baby is the size of: A navel orange! He or she is four inches long and weighs 2.5 ounces.

Feeling: Pretty darn great. About a week and a half ago was when I finally noticed I hadn’t felt nauseous for several days. Hurray! Apart from still getting tired early and wanting the occasional daytime nap, my energy levels have been back to normal.

Total weight gained: Five pounds. So happy about this one, since the nausea of the first trimester combined with (let’s be honest) the fact that I was no longer imbibing in my fair share of wine and beer each week was actually making it difficult to gain. I’ve made up for it these past three weeks!

Exercising: I’ve been able to keep up with at least one run each week. Typically they’re about three miles long and nowhere near my pre-pregnancy pace, but it feels really good to be able to continue an exercise I enjoy, at least for now – especially as it starts to cool down here and I can finally run outside again! Other than that, I do a lot of walking, elliptical-ing and lifting light weights. I am hoping to start pre-natal yoga soon, too.

Sleep: So far, so good! Sometimes I wake up once or twice, sometimes I can sleep through the whole night. I’m making the most of it while I still can and aiming to get at least eight hours.

Showing: Yes! I’ve felt like I’ve been bumpin’ since week 12 but now other people can see it noticeably, too. I am pretty sure watching the bump grow is going to be one of my favorite parts of pregnancy. It’s just so cool to think, “I’m growing a tiny human in there!”

Cravings: Nothing too outrageous. Still loving carbs but I’ve been able to work certain veggies back into the rotation by sticking them into soups, pastas, etc. I’ve also been on a plain yogurt kick, which I didn’t really eat much of prior to being pregnant. I love topping it with granola and a big spoonful of peanut butter. And I eat at least one apple a day, often pairing it with gouda cheese. Yum!

Aversions: I am not a huge fan of seafood or red meat right now. It’s funny that I’ve always heard about pregnant women hating the sight of chicken, but for me it has been the opposite. I love it!

Missing: Pumpkin beer! But I think it’s only because of fall. The smell of alcohol still doesn’t really appeal to me, which has actually been GREAT. 🙂 Beyond that, I just miss soft cheese.

Maternity clothes: I’m not wearing any just yet but I recently took advantage of a 40% off everything sale at LOFT to get some maternity jeans and fall/winter sweaters.

Movement: I’ve been feeling a lot of butterfly flutters and bubbles (not to be confused with digestion, haha), both of which I’ve read can be some early signs of movement. I’m excited that I’ll hopefully be able to feel my first real kick in a few weeks.

Looking forward to: Our next doctor appointment in two weeks. We had the chance to hear the baby’s heartbeat on the doppler last time and I’ve proceeded to listen to my recording of it over and over ever since. I’m looking forward to hearing it again and while we’re there, scheduling our next ultrasound where we hope to find out…

Boy or girl: …the gender! The closer we get to the 18-week mark, the more sure I am that finding out is the right move for us. I’m excited to reveal it to friends and family, though we are going to keep the name a secret so that there is still a final surprise to look forward to.

Best moment of this week: Having my first vivid dream about the baby. I’ve been having wild and wacky ones lately, but a couple of nights ago was the first time our baby was there, too! I’m keeping it to myself as to whether it was a he or she. Only time will tell!

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I’ll be interested to see how these answers evolve and change over the next 25 weeks.

(Ah! I can’t believe there are just 25 weeks to go!)

Abrazos,